Textbooks collecting dust on a shelf or thrown in the trash because they can't be bought back at the bookstore are being sought after by Better World Books.

A book drive outside the Nigh University Center bookstore will be hosted by BWB Dec. 13 through 17.

The books will be donated to "Books for Africa," a non-profit organization committed to ending the book famine in Africa.

"There is obviously a pretty large need or they wouldn't keep shipping 80 percent of the books that are donated," said Jimmy Witcosky, a junior public relations major.

Witcosky has volunteered to help with the book drive for the past three semesters. In that time Witcosky said two thousand books have been collected from campus.

"This time we are hoping to get a thousand books," he said.

BWB organizes book drives at colleges and universities throughout the United States and Canada.

"A large number of the same books are needed for college classes or else they can't be used," Witcosky said. "It's easier to do that because the organization is operated all over the country."

This year BWB is collecting books from 1999 or newer.

"Last year two million books were sent to Africa," Witcosky said.

The books not able to be used are sold for cash donations generated by BWB online book sales.